The learning curve for the Shouldice Repair: a pilot analysis of post-training specialized surgeons at the Shouldice Hospital.

Purpose: The aim of the study was to evaluate operative time and postoperative complications of 4 post-training specialized surgeons.

Methods: This was a pilot retrospective chart review to determine the learning curve of a Shouldice primary inguinal hernia repair (Shouldice Repair) of 4 post-training specialized surgeons, at the Shouldice Hospital. The first 300 Shouldice Repairs (early learning block) were compared to their 900-1,000 repairs as the primary operating surgeon (late learning block).

Metanephric stromal tumor as a rare differential diagnosis of a renal mass in children - a case report.

This report presents the case of a benign metanephric stromal tumor that occurred in the kidney of a 5-year-old boy and in which differentiation from a nephroblastoma was successful. Radiological assessment played the decisive role in this case, as the low initial volume, a high apparent diffusion coefficient, and lack of rapid tumor growth were considered atypical for a nephroblastoma. The boy underwent successful kidney-preserving resection without neoadjuvant chemotherapy, and intraoperative contrast-enhanced ultrasound examination helped to accurately define the tumor margins.

Structured hernia surgery training program for general practitioners in Rwanda - feasibility and evaluation.

Background: Hernias are among the most common surgical conditions worldwide, with significant prevalence in Africa. However, according to recent WHO statistics, Africa faces a critical shortage of trained surgeons. Structured surgical training programs are also scarce.

[Functional disorders of the lower urinary tract in diabetes mellitus].

Type 2 diabetes mellitus is a well-known metabolic disease with increasing prevalence. Diabetic-related complications lead to different types of organ damage, some of which some of which are less well-known. In the lower urinary tract, a complex interplay of neuronal, myogenic, and urothelial dysfunction leads to functional disorders of the lower urinary tract, with disorders of bladder storage and bladder emptying being in the forefront.

Prognostic F-flotufolastat PET parameters for outcome assessment of Lu-labeled PSMA-targeted radioligand therapy in metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer.

Purpose: This retrospective analysis evaluates baseline F-flotufolastat positron emission tomography (PET) parameters as prognostic parameters for treatment response and outcome in patients with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) undergoing treatment with [Lu]Lu-PSMA-I&T.

Methods: A total of 188 mCRPC patients with baseline F-flotufolastat PET scans were included. Tumor lesions were semiautomatically delineated, with imaging parameters including volume-based and standardized uptake value (SUV)-based metrics.

Impact of diabetes mellitus type two on incidence and progression of Parkinson's disease: a systematic review of longitudinal patient cohorts.

Parkinson's disease (PD) is a chronic neurodegenerative disease of the elderly. Patients suffer from progressive motor and non-motor symptoms. Further, PD patients often present geriatric features like multimorbidity and polypharmacotherapy.

The Brussels consensus for non-invasive ICP monitoring when invasive systems are not available in the care of TBI patients (the B-ICONIC consensus, recommendations, and management algorithm).

Background: Invasive systems are commonly used for monitoring intracranial pressure (ICP) in traumatic brain injury (TBI) and are considered the gold standard. The availability of invasive ICP monitoring is heterogeneous, and in low- and middle-income settings, these systems are not routinely employed due to high cost or limited accessibility. The aim of this consensus was to develop recommendations to guide monitoring and ICP-driven therapies in TBI using non-invasive ICP (nICP) systems.

Conflict at work and incident chronic low back pain: a retrospective cohort of more than 101,000 adults from Germany.

Purpose: Little is known about the relationship between conflict at work and incident chronic low back pain (CLBP). Thus, this retrospective cohort study analyzed the association between conflict at work and the five-year incidence of CLBP in adults living in Germany.

Methods: This study included individuals aged 18-65 years reporting conflict at work for the first time in one of 1,293 general practices in Germany between 2005 and 2022 (index date).

Survey of legislative frameworks and national recommendations governing paediatric maintenance haemodialysis in Europe.

Background: The application of international recommendations for paediatric maintenance haemodialysis (HD) could be strengthened by national laws or written recommendations. Our aim was therefore to describe the national rules governing paediatric maintenance HD in European countries.

Methods: A national representative, approved by the president of each paediatric nephrology society, was contacted in all 42 European countries to complete two online questionnaires.

ACTB::ZMIZ2-rearranged adnexal carcinoma: a second case.

A case of cutaneous adnexal neoplasm with unusual squamoid morphology and harboring an in frame ACTB::ZMIZ2 fusion transcript was recently described. Herein, we report a second case of adnexal carcinoma harboring similar morphology and an identical in frame ACTB::ZMIZ2 fusion transcript. This 2.

Identification of a Biosynthetic Gene Cluster for the Production of the Blue-Green Pigment Xylindein by the Fungus .

Xylindein is a blue-green pigment produced by the fungi and Its stunning color and optoelectronic properties make xylindein valuable for textiles and as a natural semiconductor material. However, producing xylindein from culture broths remains challenging because of the slow growth of the species and the poor solubility of xylindein in organic solvents. An alternative production route for obtaining pure xylindein is heterologous expression of the xylindein biosynthetic genes.

Selenium Nucleophilicity and Electrophilicity in the Intra- and Intermolecular SN2 Reactions of Selenenyl Sulfide Probes.

Chalcogenide exchange reactions are an important class of bimolecular nucleophilic substitution reactions (SN2) involving sulfur and selenium species as nucleophile, central atom, and/or leaving group, which are fundamental throughout redox biology and metabolism. While thiol-disulfide exchange reactions have been deeply investigated, those involving selenium are less understood, especially with regards to the polarised selenenyl sulfides RSe-SR' even though the directed reactivity of selenenyl sulfides is biologically crucial for selenoenzymes such as thioredoxin reductase (TrxR) and glutathione peroxidase (GPx). Synthetic methods to create asymmetric selenenyl sulfides with high regiochemical purity only emerged over the last five years; this functional group has already demonstrated powerful applications to cell biology, through probes for molecular imaging (e.

Carbene-Functionalized Bulky-Cyclopentadiene Rings.

A series of significantly bulky mono- and di-substituted cyclic alkyl-amino carbene (cAAC)- functionalized cyclopentadiene ring (Cp) compounds were synthesized. The functionalization of the Cp ring with cAAC ligands makes them significantly bulkier, while retaining their ligation properties. These compounds display interesting fluorescence properties.

Degrading the key component of the inflammasome: development of an NLRP3 PROTAC.

This study explores PROTACs for NLRP3, the key player in innate immunity. We utilised a thiophene analogue of the NLRP3 inhibitor MCC950 and employed CuAAC chemistry for the assembly of PROTACs bearing various linkers and recruiting three different E3 ligases. Compounds were evaluated in bidirectional thermal stability studies with NLRP3 and E3 ligases.

Length-Dependent Conduction of Polyynes: Searching for the Limit of the Tunneling Regime.

Rigid, conjugated molecules are excellent candidates as molecular wires since they can achieve full extension between electrodes while maintaining conjugation. Molecular design can be used to minimize the accessible pi surface and interactions between the bridging wire and the electrode. Polyynes are archetypal molecular wires that feature a rigid molecular framework with a cross-section of a single carbon atom.

Pooled safety analysis and management of sotorasib-related adverse events in KRAS G12C-mutated advanced non-small cell lung cancer.

Introduction: We describe the safety of sotorasib monotherapy in patients with KRAS G12C-mutated advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and discuss practical recommendations for managing key risks.

Methods: Incidence rates of treatment-related adverse events (TRAEs) were pooled from 4 clinical trials: CodeBreaK 100 (NCT03600883), CodeBreaK 101 (NCT04185883), CodeBreaK 105 (NCT04380753), and CodeBreaK 200 (NCT04303780) and graded according to CTCAE v5.0.

Altermagnetism in two-dimensional CaRuO perovskite.

We propose and characterize a novel two-dimensional material, 2D-CRO, derived from bulk calcium-based ruthenates (CROs) of the Ruddlesden-Popper family, CaRuO ( = 1 and 2). Using density functional theory, we demonstrate that 2D-CRO maintains structural stability down to the monolayer limit, exhibiting a tight interplay between structural and electronic properties. Notably, 2D-CRO displays altermagnetic behavior, characterized by zero net magnetization and strong spin-dependent phenomena, stabilized through dimensionality reduction.

Elevated Neutrophil-to-Lymphocyte Ratio Predicts Prognosis in Acute Myocarditis.

Background: Neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) is an easy-to-use inflammatory biomarker. Baseline NLR is independently associated with incident cardiovascular events and all-cause mortality. However, whether this applies to acute myocarditis (AM) has not been evaluated.

Enhanced Mechanical Properties in Bulk Nanograined Ni with High-Density Fivefold Twins.

Fivefold twins are extensively present in nanoparticles and nanowires, enhancing their performance in physical, chemical, and mechanical properties. However, a deep insight into the correlation between mechanical properties and fivefold twins in bulk nanograined materials is lacking due to synthesis difficulties. Here, a bulk fivefold-twinned nanograined Ni is synthesized via electrodeposition.

An In Vivo Biostability Evaluation of ALD and Parylene-ALD Multilayers as Micro-Packaging Solutions for Small Single-Chip Implants.

Miniaturization of next-generation active neural implants requires novel micro-packaging solutions that can maintain their long-term coating performance in the body. This work presents two thin-film coatings and evaluates their biostability and in vivo performance over a 7-month animal study. To evaluate the coatings on representative surfaces, two silicon microchips with different surface microtopography are used.

Dual surrogate imprinting: an innovative strategy for the preparation of virus-selective particles.

This work involves the preparation of dual surrogate-imprinted polymers (D-MIPs) for the capture of SARS-CoV-2. To achieve this goal, an innovative and novel dual imprinting approach using carboxylated-polystyrene (PS-COOH) nanoparticles with a diameter of 100 nm and a SARS-CoV-2 Spike-derived peptide was carried out at the surface of amine-functionalized silica (PS-NH) microspheres with a diameter of 500 nm. Firstly, PS-COOH nanoparticles with the same size and spherical shape as the SARS-CoV-2 virus were employed to form hemispherical indentations (HI) at the surface of the PS-NH microspheres (obtaining dummy particle-imprinted polymers, HI-MIPs).

Allergic Rhinitis and its Impact on Asthma (ARIA) Classes in MASK-air Users.

Background And Objectives: The Allergic Rhinitis and its Impact on Asthma (ARIA) guidelines classify rhinitis as "intermittent" or "persistent" and "mild" or "moderate-severe". To assess ARIA classes in a real-world study in terms of phenotypic differences and their association with asthma.

Methods: We performed a cross-sectional real-world study based on users of the MASK-air® app who reported data for at least 3 different months.

First-in-Human Phase 1 study of a CD16A bispecific innate cell engager, AFM24, targeting EGFR-expressing solid tumors.

Purpose: Innate immune cell-based therapies have shown promising antitumor activity against solid and hematologic malignancies. AFM24, a bispecific innate cell engager, binds CD16A on natural killer (NK) cells/macrophages and EGFR on tumor cells, redirecting antitumor activity towards tumors. The safety and tolerability of AFM24 was evaluated in this Phase 1/2a dose escalation/dose expansion study in patients with recurrent or persistent, advanced solid tumors known to express EGFR.

A glovebox-integrated confocal microscope for quantum sensing in inert atmosphere.

Confocal microscopy is an invaluable tool for studying fluorescent materials and finds a wide application in biology and in quantum sensing. Usually, these experiments are performed under ambient conditions, but many materials are air sensitive (for example, black phosphorus) and degrade quickly under the strong laser irradiance. Here, we present a glovebox-integrated confocal microscope designed for nitrogen-vacancy (NV) center-based nano-scale sensing and NMR spectroscopy in an inert gas atmosphere.